Q124649: HOWTO: How to Print a Single Line Without Formfeed

Article: Q124649
Product(s): Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.1
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kb16bitonly _IK kbSDKWin16
Last Modified: 09-JUL-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.1 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article shows by example how to have an application print one line at a
time without a formfeed. Windows does not inherently provide this ability
because it is in direct conflict with the design philosophy of a multitasking
operating system.

One method of single-line printing, including sample code, is provided here. This
method uses the combination of the raw.drv sample printer driver and the
PASSTHROUGH escape, and supports printing over a network. It has the following
limitations:

- This method is not conducive to shared printing. If another application
  prints, it will assume that the printer is currently at the top of a page,
  which may not be the case if this code is being used.

- This method is only compatible with dot matrix, daisywheel, or other printers
  capable of printing a single line or single line feed. It will not work with
  LaserJet printers that must print a page at a time.

MORE INFORMATION
================

If you are sure no other application will use the same printer, you can have
your application print one line at a time to a dot matrix printer without
issuing a formfeed. Use the raw.drv sample printer driver and the PASSTHROUGH
escape to accomplish this. Follow these steps:

1. Download raw.drv and place it in the \WINDOWS directory. For additional
  information about raw.drv, including instructions for download, please see
  the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q35708 SAMPLE: Raw.exe Sends Binary Data to Printer w/Device Driver

  Do not install this driver as the default printer driver. It is a sample
  driver and is not intended to be used for commercial applications.

2. Call the PrintLineNow function by using the following code fragment:

     // The Abort Procedure for printing (a generic AbortProc)
     // This procedure needs to listed be in the Exports section
     //    of the .def file
     BOOL CALLBACK AbortProc( HDC hDC, int Error )
     {
       MSG msg;

      while(PeekMessage(&msg, NULL, 0, 0, TRUE))
      {
         TranslateMessage(&msg);
         DispatchMessage(&msg);
       }
       return TRUE;
     }

     // The function that prints one line without formfeed
     BOOL PrintLineNow( char *pData, WORD cbBytes )
     {
       #define   LINEBUFFER_LENGTH 80 //or dynamically alloc enough space
       HDC       hDC;
       char      pOutput[LINEBUFFER_LENGTH+sizeof(WORD)];
       DOCINFO   di;
       ABORTPROC lpfnAbortProc;

       // Buffer size is LINEBUFFER_LENGTH bytes
       if( cbBytes > LINEBUFFER_LENGTH )
          return FALSE;

       // Get the DC using the RAW.DRV driver
       if( (hDC = CreateDC( "RAW", NULL, "LPT1", NULL ) ) == NULL )
         return FALSE;

       // Set up an Abort Procedure
       if((lpfnAbortProc = MakeProcInstance(AbortProc, hInst)) == NULL)
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           return FALSE;
         }
       if( SetAbortProc( hDC, lpfnAbortProc ) <= 0 )
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
           return FALSE;
         }

       // Start a Document
       di.cbSize = sizeof( DOCINFO );
       di.lpszDocName = "MyDoc";
       di.lpszOutput = NULL;
       if( StartDoc( hDC, &di ) <= 0 )
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
           return FALSE;
         }

       // The start of a page
       if( StartPage( hDC ) <= 0 )
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
           return FALSE;
         }

       // Put data in the buffer and send to the printer
       *(WORD *)pOutput = cbBytes;
       memcpy( &(pOutput[sizeof(WORD)]), pData, cbBytes );
       if( Escape( hDC, PASSTHROUGH, 0, pOutput, NULL ) <= 0 )
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
           return FALSE;
         }

       // The end of the page
       if( EndPage( hDC ) < 0 )
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
           return FALSE;
         }

       // End the Document
       if( EndDoc( hDC ) < 0 )
         {
           DeleteDC( hDC );
           FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
           return FALSE;
         }

       // Clean up
       DeleteDC( hDC );
       FreeProcInstance( lpfnAbortProc );
       return TRUE;   // Success
     }

Additional query words: NEWFRAME FF Mailing Label Form Feed GdiPrn

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Keywords          : kb16bitonly _IK kbSDKWin16 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK310
Version           : WINDOWS:3.1
Issue type        : kbhowto

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